Wet blade razors, or the type used with a wet lather or shaving cream, generally is presumed to have a useful life of only one or at most several shaves. Thereafter, the shaver feels uneven pulling of the blade against the skin or sees and feels that the shave is not close. In fact, the blade does lose its cutting edge very fast.
Many factors are believed to contribute to the short useful life of a wet razor, including: (1) physical wear on the cutting edge caused by dragging it across the skin and actually cutting the hairs; and (2) exposure of the cutting edge to the lather or shaving cream and to the water, during shaving, and possible chemical oxidation of the blade that occurs then.
The inventor herein has determined that the above-listed factors actually contribute an insignificant percentage, toward the short useful life of a wet razor. The real culprit is chemical oxidation that occurs after the shaving has been completed, the blade and razor has been rinsed clean with water, and the razor is set aside and stored until the next time for shaving. During this period, exposure of the razor blade to the atmospheric air promotes chemical oxidation of the blade's cutting edge, that dulls it many times faster than during shaving itself.